Professor Mark Nielsen
Professor

Mark Nielsen

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 56414

Background

Mark joined the School of Psychology in 2002 as a UQ Postdoctoral Research Fellow after completing his PhD at La Trobe University. His research interests lie in a range of inter-related aspects of socio-cognitive development in young human children and non-human primates. His current research is primarily focused on charting the origins and development of human cultural cognition.

He is:

  • a Senior Research Associate, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
  • a member of: Association for Psychological Science; Society for Research in Child Development; Australasian Human Development Association
  • an Associate Editor: Journal of Experimental Child Psychology; PLoS ONE
  • an Editorial Consultant: Child Development; Developmental Science

Availability

Professor Mark Nielsen is:
Available for supervision

Fields of research

Cognitive and computational psychology Psychology

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, Flinders University
  • Postgraduate Diploma, La Trobe University

Research impacts

Mark has forged an international reputation for cutting-edge research on multiple aspects of developmental social cognition. Based on the quality of his research, he was presented with an Early Career Researcher Award from the International Society on Infant Studies (2006), a Research Excellence Award from the (then) Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (2009), and in 2016 was made a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. He has published over 100 papers, had his research feature in over 80 conference presentations and over 15 invited conference and colloquia talks.

Search Professor Mark Nielsen’s works on UQ eSpace

134 works between 1999 and 2025
All (134) Journal Article (116) Book Chapter (9) Conference Publication (8) Other Outputs (1)

61 - 80 of 134 works

2017

Journal Article

Early stone tools and cultural transmission resetting the null hypothesis: comment

Nielsen, Mark and Whiten, Andrew (2017). Early stone tools and cultural transmission resetting the null hypothesis: comment. Current Anthropology, 58 (5), 659-660.

Early stone tools and cultural transmission resetting the null hypothesis: comment

2017

Journal Article

Children disassociate from antisocial in-group members

Wilks, Matti and Nielsen, Mark (2017). Children disassociate from antisocial in-group members. Journal of experimental child psychology, 165, 37-50. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2017.06.003

Children disassociate from antisocial in-group members

2017

Journal Article

Are yawns really contagious? A critique and quantification of yawn contagion

Kapitany, Rohan and Nielsen, Mark (2017). Are yawns really contagious? A critique and quantification of yawn contagion. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 3 (2), 134-155. doi: 10.1007/s40750-017-0059-y

Are yawns really contagious? A critique and quantification of yawn contagion

2017

Journal Article

Measuring the effect of soil-transmitted helminth infections on cognitive function in children: systematic review and critical appraisal of evidence

Owada, Kei, Nielsen, Mark, Lau, Colleen L., Clements, Archie C. A., Yakob, Laith and Soares Magalhaes, Ricardo J. (2017). Measuring the effect of soil-transmitted helminth infections on cognitive function in children: systematic review and critical appraisal of evidence. Advances in Parasitology, 98, 1-37. doi: 10.1016/bs.apar.2017.05.002

Measuring the effect of soil-transmitted helminth infections on cognitive function in children: systematic review and critical appraisal of evidence

2017

Journal Article

There is no compelling evidence that human neonates imitate

Kennedy-Costantini, Siobhan, Oostenbroek, Janine, Suddendorf, Thomas, Nielsen, Mark, Redshaw, Jonathan, Davis, Jacqueline, Clark, Sally and Slaughter, Virginia (2017). There is no compelling evidence that human neonates imitate. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 40 e392, e392. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X16001898

There is no compelling evidence that human neonates imitate

2016

Journal Article

Comprehensive Longitudinal Study Challenges the Existence of Neonatal Imitation in Humans

Oostenbroek, Janine, Suddendorf, Thomas, Nielsen, Mark, Redshaw, Jonathan, Kennedy-Costantini, Siobhan, Davis, Jacqueline, Clark, Sally and Slaughter, Virginia (2016). Comprehensive Longitudinal Study Challenges the Existence of Neonatal Imitation in Humans. Current Biology, 26 (10), 1334-1338. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.03.047

Comprehensive Longitudinal Study Challenges the Existence of Neonatal Imitation in Humans

2016

Journal Article

Imitation, collaboration, and their interaction among Western and Indigenous Australian preschool children

Nielsen, Mark, Mushin, Ilana, Tomaselli, Keyan and Whiten, Andrew (2016). Imitation, collaboration, and their interaction among Western and Indigenous Australian preschool children. Child Development, 87 (3), 795-806. doi: 10.1111/cdev.12504

Imitation, collaboration, and their interaction among Western and Indigenous Australian preschool children

2016

Journal Article

The ritual stance and the precaution system: the role of goal-demotion and opacity in ritual and everyday actions

Kapitany, Rohan and Nielsen, Mark (2016). The ritual stance and the precaution system: the role of goal-demotion and opacity in ritual and everyday actions. Religion, Brain and Behavior, 7 (1), 1-16. doi: 10.1080/2153599X.2016.1141792

The ritual stance and the precaution system: the role of goal-demotion and opacity in ritual and everyday actions

2016

Journal Article

Preschool's children's learning proclivities: when the ritual stance trumps the instrumental stance

Wilks, Matti, Kapitany, Rohan and Nielsen, Mark (2016). Preschool's children's learning proclivities: when the ritual stance trumps the instrumental stance. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 34 (3), 402-414. doi: 10.1111/bjdp.12139

Preschool's children's learning proclivities: when the ritual stance trumps the instrumental stance

2016

Journal Article

Why developmental psychology is incomplete without comparative and cross-cultural perspectives

Nielsen, Mark and Haun, Daniel (2016). Why developmental psychology is incomplete without comparative and cross-cultural perspectives. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 371 (1686), 1-7. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0071

Why developmental psychology is incomplete without comparative and cross-cultural perspectives

2016

Conference Publication

Hand in hand: tools and techniques for understanding children's touch with a social robot

Hensby, Kristyn, Wiles, Janet, Boden, Marie, Heath, Scott, Nielsen, Mark, Pounds, Paul, Riddell, Joshua, Rogers, Kristopher, Rybak, Nikodem, Slaughter, Virginia, Smith, Michael, Taufatofua, Jonathon, Worthy, Peter and Weigel, Jason (2016). Hand in hand: tools and techniques for understanding children's touch with a social robot. 11th Annual ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, HRI 2016, Christchurch, New Zealand, 7-10 March 2016. Piscataway, NJ, United States: IEEE Computer Society. doi: 10.1109/HRI.2016.7451794

Hand in hand: tools and techniques for understanding children's touch with a social robot

2015

Journal Article

Adopting the ritual stance: The role of opacity and context in ritual and everyday actions

Kapitany, Rohan and Nielsen, Mark (2015). Adopting the ritual stance: The role of opacity and context in ritual and everyday actions. Cognition, 145, 13-29. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2015.08.002

Adopting the ritual stance: The role of opacity and context in ritual and everyday actions

2015

Journal Article

Imitation and innovation: the dual engines of cultural learning

Legare, Cristine H. and Nielsen, Mark (2015). Imitation and innovation: the dual engines of cultural learning. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 19 (11), 688-699. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2015.08.005

Imitation and innovation: the dual engines of cultural learning

2015

Journal Article

Before cumulative culture: the evolutionary origins of overimitation and shared intentionality

Shipton, Ceri and Nielsen, Mark (2015). Before cumulative culture: the evolutionary origins of overimitation and shared intentionality. Human Nature, 26 (3), 331-345. doi: 10.1007/s12110-015-9233-8

Before cumulative culture: the evolutionary origins of overimitation and shared intentionality

2015

Journal Article

The perpetuation of ritualistic actions as revealed by young children's transmission of normative behavior

Nielsen, Mark, Kapitany, Rohan and Elkins, Rosemary (2015). The perpetuation of ritualistic actions as revealed by young children's transmission of normative behavior. Evolution and Human Behavior, 36 (3), 191-198. doi: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2014.11.002

The perpetuation of ritualistic actions as revealed by young children's transmission of normative behavior

2015

Journal Article

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and human children (Homo sapiens) know when they are ignorant about the location of food

Neldner, Karri, Collier-Baker, Emma and Nielsen, Mark (2015). Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and human children (Homo sapiens) know when they are ignorant about the location of food. Animal Cognition, 18 (3), 683-699. doi: 10.1007/s10071-015-0836-6

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and human children (Homo sapiens) know when they are ignorant about the location of food

2015

Journal Article

Childhood and the evolution of higher-effort teaching

Nielsen, Mark and Shipton, Ceri (2015). Childhood and the evolution of higher-effort teaching. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 38 (1) e52, 34-35. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X14000545

Childhood and the evolution of higher-effort teaching

2015

Book Chapter

Pretend Play and Cognitive Development

Nielsen, Mark (2015). Pretend Play and Cognitive Development. International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences: Second Edition. (pp. 870-876) Orlando, FL, USA: Elsevier . doi: 10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.23073-0

Pretend Play and Cognitive Development

2014

Journal Article

Direct cost does not impact on young children's spontaneous helping behavior

Nielsen, Mark, Gigante, Julia and Collier-Baker, Emma (2014). Direct cost does not impact on young children's spontaneous helping behavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 5 (DEC) 1509, 1-7. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01509

Direct cost does not impact on young children's spontaneous helping behavior

2014

Journal Article

Preschool children favor copying a successful individual over an unsuccessful group

Wilks, Matti, Collier-Baker, Emma and Nielsen, Mark (2014). Preschool children favor copying a successful individual over an unsuccessful group. Developmental Science, 18 (6), 1014-1024. doi: 10.1111/desc.12274

Preschool children favor copying a successful individual over an unsuccessful group

Current funding

  • 2023 - 2025
    The Development and Diversity of Religious Cognition and Behaviour ((John Templeton Foundation) administered by The University of California Riverside)
    University of California, Riverside
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2021 - 2024
    Imitation learning in infancy
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2024
    To imitate or innovate: A new look at children's social learning strategies
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2023
    The Consequences of Formal Education for Science and Religion (The Issachar Fund subaward administered by The University of Texas at Austin)
    University of Texas at Austin - Grants
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2017
    The developmental origins of tool innovation
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2013
    A brain stimulation and portable eye-tracking suite for human behavioural research
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    Over-imitation, trial-and-error learning and the inter-generational transmission of information
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011
    UQ Travel Awards Category 2 - Dr Mark Gregory Nielsen
    UQ Travel Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2013
    Charting the prevalence, time course and social-cognitive correlates of neonatal imitation.
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2009
    UQ Travel Awards Category 2, Dr Mark Nielsen
    UQ Travel Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2008
    Synchronic imitation in children with ASD: imitation and the social deficit hypothesis.
    APEX Foundation for Autism
    Open grant
  • 2007
    Imitation and Pretence in Human Children and Nonhuman Primates: Exploring the Origins of Cultural Cognition
    UQ Travel Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2007 - 2009
    Thinking about the future: The nature and development of mental time travel
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2005 - 2006
    Actions, outcomes, agency and imitation. Why toddlers copy what others do.
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant
  • 2003
    An Investigation of Social Learning in Human Infants
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Mark Nielsen is:
Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Young children¿s costly social learning: ritual vs. instrumental actions

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Frankie Fong

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Imitation and childrens social vs material priorities

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Frankie Fong

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Imitation and childrens social vs material priorities

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Frankie Fong

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Testing an Evolutionary Account of Inequity Aversion from Behind the Veil of Ignorance

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Lionel Page

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Testing an Evolutionary Account of Inequity Aversion from Behind the Veil of Ignorance

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Lionel Page

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Testing an Evolutionary Account of Inequity Aversion from Behind the Veil of Ignorance

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Lionel Page

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Foundations of cumulative culture: What drives children to innovate or imitate.

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Frankie Fong

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Testing an Evolutionary Account of Inequity Aversion from Behind the Veil of Ignorance

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Lionel Page

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Testing an Evolutionary Account of Inequity Aversion from Behind the Veil of Ignorance

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Lionel Page

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Testing an Evolutionary Account of Inequity Aversion from Behind the Veil of Ignorance

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Lionel Page

  • Doctor Philosophy

    To imitate or innovate: A new look at children's social learning

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Frankie Fong

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Testing an Evolutionary Account of Inequity Aversion from Behind the Veil of Ignorance

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Lionel Page

  • Doctor Philosophy

    How Indonesian Matrilineal and Patrilineal Culture Affect Gender Norms in Imitation

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Frankie Fong

  • Doctor Philosophy

    A Developemntal Perspective on the Foundations of Ritual and Trust

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jonathan Redshaw

Completed supervision

Enquiries

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